


Everyone Knows

by autobotscoutriella



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Blackout is smarter than he looks, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Pre-Canon, Rotorfliers, Rumors, Stereotypes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-12 16:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19576585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autobotscoutriella/pseuds/autobotscoutriella
Summary: On Cybertron, a little something like a war won't stop rumors spreading.





	Everyone Knows

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the [FandomWeekly](https://fandomweekly.dreamwidth.org/234553.html) prompt "Stereotype".

Everyone knows that Blackout, like all rotorfliers, is a coward.

The rumor starts after the battle outside Tarn, and the screaming match that results when Blackout realizes that Starscream's orders left him on the front lines with only a unit of Vehicons as backup. Once the gossip about Megatron dragging the two of them apart dies down, whispers abound about the rotorflier's violent objections to risking his life.

Maybe it would have died down. Starscream isn't well-known for his courage either, and most Decepticons know all too well the sinking realization that an officer's plans have left them in the line of fire while said officer waits safe and sound behind friendly lines. Blackout just happens to be ranked highly enough to get away with telling Starscream what he thinks of it, and if that makes him a coward, well, he's not alone.

But then some anonymous source brings a bit of alt-mode trivia into the conversation.

_Rotorfliers, mech, everyone knows they're flighty as the Pit. Of course he's a coward._

And with that stereotype attached to it, the rumor takes on a life of its own. By the next battle, half the Vehicons are whispering about all the different things the Decepticon third-in-command would supposedly run from during a battle.

Blackout overhears some of it firsthand, and the rest floats back to him secondhand after he knocks the only mech bold enough to bring it up in his presence into the nearest wall. After the first outburst, he haughtily ignores any further rumors, pretending to be entirely oblivious to the gossip.

While he would rather not have it advertised, they aren't _entirely_ wrong. In general, Blackout would in fact prefer to keep his own plating out of firing range as much as possible—which he thinks is only reasonable, considering that unlike his better-armored heavier counterparts, his sensitive internals are dangerously close to being exposed. In terms of combat strategy, he _is_ a coward. But he hates to advertise it, and he'd like to strangle someone for bringing his alt-mode into it.

(Preferably Starscream. He's never needed an excuse to hate the second-in-command, regardless of whether his suspicions about who mentioned alt-modes are correct or not.)

But Megatron won’t allow it, so life goes on, and everyone knows that Blackout is too much of a coward to fight the rumor.

But then it spreads to the Autobots.

"Thought you were supposed to be a coward," the Autobot commander sneers over the open comm line, presumably intended to facilitate some kind of diplomacy. _As if that'd work._ If Blackout squints, he can just see the red figure on the other side of the barricades shielding the outer limits of Nova Cronum, flanked on either side by anti-aircraft cannons. It's a vulnerable position—if Blackout were willing to take the immediate return fire, he could order a sniper to drop the Autobot commander on the spot—but then, who wouldn't take a few risks if they believed their enemy was too scared to hit them head-on?

Blackout decides that it's time to make Starscream's rumor work for him.

He ends the comm line without even an attempt to argue and walks back toward his troops, making sure the Autobot sees him backing off. "Pull back," he orders, and the Vehicon commander looks at him like he's just recommended they roll over and paint a target on their collective chassis. "We're making camp."

"Sir—"

" _Do it._ " To Blackout's satisfaction, the Vehicon flinches and moves to obey. He lets the commander get a few strides away before adding, "Don't get comfortable."

When darkness falls, Blackout's night-sensitive optics can just barely detect faint movement on the other side of the barricades—not enough for a full patrol, but at least a handful of sentries, and they're staying undercover. The Autobots aren't taking as many chances as he would like, but they're expecting the cannons to intimidate him away.

"I want air and ground squadrons prepped to move on my word. Don't break camp." He only waits long enough to see the Vehicons start to move before transforming and vanishing into the sky, silent as a shadow.

From the air, it's clear the Autobots are more prepared than they appear; those cannons are set to cover the entire camp, and with no cloud cover, there's no way Blackout won't be shot out of the sky the moment he reveals his presence. He doesn't care for the idea. A distraction is in order.

::Commander, move in.::

He waits until he hears the sound of fliers taking off and weapons firing before circling the Autobot camp. The cannons are focused entirely on the attackers, and they won't be looking up now, occupied.

It's a shame about the Vehicons, but, well, he's heard them whispering about his cowardice. They can't be surprised.

The rotorflier circles once more, cuts his engines, and in total silence, drops like a stone toward the camp below with Thunderclap cannon charging.

The concussion blast rips through two of the Autobots' four anti-aircraft cannons and carves a crater into the ground below, hurling soldiers in every direction. Blackout lands on his feet in the center, cannon already charging for another shot, and finds himself face-to-face with the red Autobot commander, who stares wide-eyed as if he can't believe the Decepticon he _knows_ is a coward is standing _right there,_ in _his_ camp, and not back behind the still-charging Vehicon soldiers.

He should be surprised. That's usually where Blackout would prefer to be, but the look on the Autobot’s face is worth putting his life on the line, for once.

"Don't believe everything you hear," Blackout tells him cheerfully.

The concussion blast that follows shreds both of the remaining anti-aircraft cannons, along with the Autobot, and Blackout vanishes into the sky, leaving the camp in ruins behind him.

Everyone still knows Blackout, like all rotorfliers, is a coward.

But now they know better than to base their battle plans on that stereotype.


End file.
